Blog: My top 20 Christmas wines

The offers are good this year, which makes it worth heading out to buy for now and for those long gloomy weeks of January. But not everything I have selected is on offer – some wines really are worth their full price.

Here are my top 20 wines for Christmas.
WHITES

Hilltop Cserszegi Fuszeres, Hungary, 11%, Asda £7: Difficult to say but very easy to drink, this Hungarian wine is light with floral and spice notes. Pour it to accompany spicy chicken wings on a cold buffet.
Taste the Difference Coolwater Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015, New Zealand, Sainsbury’s, £8 down to two bottles for £14 until January 1: Bursting with fresh-cut grass aromas and gooseberry zest, this makes a great aperitif wine or to liven up the taste buds during the festive overload.
Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling 2013, Australia, 11.5%, Tesco, £9.75: A bone-dry, fabulous, knife-edge balance of lime and crunchy minerally flavours. It will go wonderfully with salmon.
Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett 2008, Germany, 9%, Majestic, £9.99 down to £9 on a mix-six deal until February 1: This vibrant, peach and apricot-style wine, just tinged with sweetness, is perfectly balanced by tart fresh acidity. It is the perfect wine to match with a sliver of Wensleydale for supper in front of the fire.
Cornelia Swartland White 2015, South Africa, 13%, Marks & Spencer, £10: A great foodie blend of Chenin, Roussanne, Verdelho and Viognier with weight, texture and fresh-tasting savoury peach flavours. Try it with a late night fish pie on Christmas Eve.
Villa Maria Arneis 2013, New Zealand, 13%, Morrisons, £10: Try a different grape from New Zealand. This has light white blossom aromas and delicate citrus and honeydew melon fruit.
Bellingham ‘The Bernard’ Viognier 2015, South Africa, 13.5%, Majestic, £12.49 down to £9.99 on a mix-six deal until February 1: With peachy apricots on the nose and rounded, textured, citrus and spice on the palate, this is a wine that could cope with a creamy chicken dish, scallops or even a plain roast turkey.
Ch. Doisy-Daëne Sec 2014, Bordeaux, 12.5%, The Wine Society, £14.95: Ch. Doisy-Daëne is run by Denis Debourdieu, professor of oenology at Bordeaux University and one of the region’s leading winemakers. Bright with lime and grapefruit freshness, this is a wine to accompany fishy starters.
Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2013, Elgin, South Africa, Harrogate Fine Wine, £14.99: With clear, elegant, melon, citrus, almond and vanilla notes, this could easily masquerade as a quality Burgundy. Pour with turkey.

Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Montmains 2014, Burgundy, France, 13%, Waitrose, £18.99: Every Christmas table needs a good Chablis and this is it. With crisp, citrus fruit and a crunchy gravel path texture, it will complement prawns, fish or even a late night turkey sandwich.
REDS

Cono Sur Reserva Especial Pinot Noir 2014, Chile, 14%, Morrisons, £10 down to £6 until December 27: This is a fantastic deal, bringing bright cherry and raspberry fruit with a rounded, generous palate. At this price, even the students can drink well.
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Shiraz, South Africa, Sainsbury’s, £8 down to £6 until January 1: Each time I taste this wine I am astounded that, year after year, it still delivers ripe bramble and pepper flavours with smooth tannins and enough backbone to hold up against grilled meat and firm cheese.
Santa Julia Reserve Uco Valley Tempranillo 2014, Argentina, 13%, Sainsbury’s, £10 down to £7.50 until January 1: High altitude vineyards provide bright, cherry and redcurrant-stacked flavours with depth and finesse.
Cune Rioja Reserva 2010, Spain, 13.5%, Waitrose, £12.99 down to £9.74 until December 29: If there is duck on the plate then a good Rioja seems to fit around all the flavours. Head for this strawberry and tobacco-scented wine with just an edge of oak allowing all the fruit to shine out.
Rustenberg RM Nicholson 2013, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 14.5%, Majestic, £14.99 down to £9.99 on a mix-six deal until February 1: A flavour-packed blend of Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in oak for 16 months. Ripe blackcurrant flavours, dusted with herbs and black pepper mean that it can stand up to all the flavours of Christmas, whatever is on the plate.
Jean-Luc Colombo Les Gravières 2012, Crozes-Hermitage, France, 12.5%, Waitrose, down from £13.99 to £10.29 until December 29: A serious Crozes, packed with blackberry and pepper flavours and held together with firm, food-friendly tannins.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2014, France, 14%, Marks & Spencer, £17 down to £12 until January 1: Deep-flavoured with ripe black fruits, peppered black olives and pepper and a dusting of herbs on the finish. When there is stuffing, sausages and gravy on the plate this will cope with it all.
Bichot Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2012, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer, £13: From one of the region’s most respected producers, this is affordable Burgundy that hits the spot for gentle, strawberry-edged fruit with hints of truffles and cocoa beans.
Barolo Peironte 2011, Italy, 13.5%, Marks & Spencer, £18 down to £13 until January 1: Slightly ambitious at its full price, this hits its comfort zone on offer with a whiff of violets on the nose and the misty morning, earthy, truffle notes of good Barolo.
Ch. Caronne Ste-Gemme 2010, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc, France, 13.5%, Majestic, £14.99, down to £13.99 on a mix-six deal until February 1: Classic claret for Christmas with cassis and pepper notes balanced by silky, smooth tannins. Cabernet-dominant with Merlot and Petit Verdot in the mix, this will go perfectly with the Boxing Day roast beef.

About The Author

Christine Austin

Christine is a wine writer, broadcaster and a wine judge for several international wine competitions. She has a technical background and spent five years as a buyer for a major supermarket before moving to wine writing.She writes for The Yorkshire Post Magazine and organises the York Festival of Food and Drink. She has won both the Lanson and the Roederer prizes for wine writing.

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